


Their Forever

by Miss_Romance_Lover



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Spoiler Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 20:54:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15227691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Romance_Lover/pseuds/Miss_Romance_Lover
Summary: Aaron's plans to ask Robert to marry him are waylaid by life...





	Their Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlelooneyluna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/gifts).



Aaron's plans to ask Robert to marry him are waylaid by life...mainly by Lachlan nearly killing Liv and Robert which is the news he arrives home to as he finally makes it back from Malta. Rebecca makes it out alive and is shaken but unhurt, and Seb is safe with Diane so that's one less thing to worry about. Lachlan is in custody which is a good thing in more ways than one, because if he wasn't then Aaron would have had a go at killing him for this.

Liv is awake and talking, so Aaron leaves his mum to watch over her and returns to Robert's bedside where the love of his life is still unconscious. Liv was the one who was struck on the head by Lachlan as well as enduring the carbon monoxide fumes, and yet it's Robert who is unable to wake up. He was asleep on the sofa when the Mill was gassed, Liv said. 

Aaron doesn't know whether he meant to nap there or fell asleep unintentionally when the fumes kicked in, but it makes his heart hurt either way. Robert had confessed before that he struggled to sleep in a bed without Aaron there; and it seemed to still be the case even when he was always coming back to him, when they were apart by miles and nothing else.

With the man's hand locked in his own, Aaron is brought out of his thoughts by a movement. Robert's fingers are twitching in his. Aaron calls for a nurse, who comes in to check and then heads off to get a doctor. "Robert," he says gently, lifting the hand that's not entwined with Robert's to stroke the older man's hair. He watches, waits as he opens his eyes and lets out a groan.

"Aaron..."

"Yeah. Hi you. Thanks for the scare - took your time waking up!"

"What's..." The memories seem to dawn on him then. "Where's Liv? She was there, I--"

"She's alright, okay? She's in here too but she's fine. Lachlan's been arrested. And Seb's safe and being looked after, so you've got nothing to worry about except getting better and getting your arse out of this bed."

It makes Robert laugh weakly. Aaron leans over to kiss him on the cheek, lingering there and holding onto him until a doctor arrives. It's not until later, when he's finally been given the all-clear and everyone has been in to see him - Victoria, Diane with Seb, Chas and Liv who is now up and about - that Aaron gets to talk to him properly.

Suddenly they're both crying together, the shock of everything hitting them. Aaron is telling him he was right all along, because it's come out that Lachlan caused the crash that killed Chrissie and Lawrence. Robert had suspected it all those months ago and Aaron had told him he was wrong. 

"And then I nearly lost you again," Aaron's voice is shaking. "And Liv."

"Aaron stop it. This isn't down to you. He had us all fooled!"

"But if I--"

"No. Enough. It's over now. We don't look back." Robert's voice leaves no room for argument. Aaron can do nothing except go with what he wants. 

Which only reminds him of his intentions before all this happened. It's not the best setting and he should probably wait but he doesn't think he can keep it in now. "Okay. No looking back. In the spirit of that, I do have something to say."

"Oh?" Robert sits up further in the bed, eyeing him curiously.

"I was thinking about it in Malta, so this isn't...it's not just because you almost went and died on me again, okay."

"What isn't?"

Aaron moves closer, picks up Robert's hand and runs his thumb over the ring sitting on his wedding finger. "Robert," he starts, every word careful and sure as it emerges from his mouth because somehow he knows exactly what he wants to say. "Back when we first tried to make a go of it, when we'd only just got through the trial, I remember I used to push you away practically every week. You'd tell me you loved me and I'd say, 'you don't even know what love is'. But it was me who didn't know. I didn't understand it because it took a hell of a long time for me to work out how to love anyone. Even family."

He takes a breath, and Robert opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out.

"You know it scared me, loving someone as much as I love you. But I'm not scared any more. Robert, I want this, I want us forever. I want to be your husband again. Will you marry me?"

Aaron is still holding his hand, and Robert gives his a squeeze. "I want forever too. 'Course I'll marry you." And then he's pulling Aaron as close as he can get and kissing him deeply. When they pull back they just watch each other for a while.

"D'you know how much I love you?" Robert asks. Aaron kisses him softly on the cheek.

"Yeah, I do. I love you too. Can't wait to get you home."

"To celebrate our engagement?"

Chuckling, Aaron gives him yet another kiss, back on the lips this time. "Definitely."

It's weeks later, as they organise the wedding that another subject for the future comes up. Robert says he wants to have children, well, more children but with Aaron. 

Overwhelmed, Aaron finds he can't speak. 

"I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about it right now; maybe I've made a mess of this conversation," Robert tells him.

"No, it's not....you haven't. I just, I want this too, Rob. I really do."

"You told me once," Robert remembers, thinks back to an emotional and painful conversation just after Seb was born.

"Yeah. I meant it too; but I think I only said it out loud because, at the time there was no hope of it ever happening. I could say all that about us having kids because I wouldn't have to deal with the reality of it."

"What do you mean?"

Aaron sighs. "The whole idea of it is like a dream to me. As in, unlikely. Maybe impossible."

"Hey, you thought that about getting married once, and about falling in love too."

"No, but I mean literally not possible. You know I've got a criminal record and it's got enough on it to stop me doing certain things. Things like, say if we wanted to adopt. I know there's other ways of having children, but surrogacy can be risky and I always liked the thought of adoption. And I couldn't bear it if we got rejected because of me. I couldn't stand to let you down all over again."

"Oh, Aaron," Robert wraps his arms around him. "You couldn't let me down. We don't have to do anything right away. But if and when we do we'll work it all out together, you and me. Whatever happens we already have our family, don't we?"

Aaron thinks it can't possibly be that simple, but everything Robert is saying is still true. They have their family. They're going to have their forever.


End file.
